Reading Comprehension

　　When discussing the causes of animal endangerment, it is important to understand that individual species are not the only factors involved in this difficult situation．Endangerment is a broad 　　1　　, one that involves the habitats(栖息地)and environments where species live and interact with one another．Although some measures are being 　　2　　 to help specific cases of endangerment, the universal problem cannot be solved until the 　　3　　 environments where endangered species live are 　　4　　 by humans．There are many reasons why a particular species may become endangered, but habitat destruction is on top．

　　Our planet is continually changing, causing habitats to be changed and modified．Natural changes tend to occur at a gradual pace, usually causing only a slight 　　5　　 on individual species．However, when changes occur at a fast pace, there is little or no time for individual species to 　　6　　 and adapt to new circumstances．This can create disastrous results, and for this reason, rapid habitat loss is the 　　7　　 cause of species endangerment．The strongest forces in rapid habitat loss are human beings．Nearly every region of the earth has been affected by human 　　8　　, particularly during this past century．The loss of microbes(微生物)in soils that formerly supported tropical forests, the 　　9　　 of fish and various aquatic(水族的)species in polluted habitats, and changes in global climate brought about by the 　　10　　 greenhouse gases are all results of human activities．

　　It can be 　　11　　 for an individual to recognize the effects that humans have had on specific species．It is also hard to identify or predict human effects on individual species and habitats, especially during a human lifetime．　　12　　 it is quite obvious that human activities have greatly contributed to species endangerment．　　13　　, although tropical forests may look as though they are thick and healthy, they are actually highly susceptible(易受影响的)to destruction only because of the soils in which they grow 　　14　　 nutrients(营养)．It may take centuries to re-grow a forest that was cut down by humans or destroyed by fire, and many of the world’s severely threatened animals and plants live in these forests．If the present rate of forest 　　15　　 continues, huge quantities of plant and animal species will disappear．

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　　This little story I’m about to tell you happened when I was 11 years old, and I’ll never forget it．

　　It was at my friend Jenny’s house after 　　1　　 one day, and we were doing our homework．While I was there, a friend of Jenny’s mom came over to 　　2　　．I didn’t know her name or 　　3　　 what her face looked like．I just 　　4　　 her hands, her voice and the lesson I 　　5　　 from her．

　　I can’t forget that she 　　6　　 her hands to introduce herself．It was so 　　7　　, I thought, rich fine skin; then I heard her saying, “Oh no, that is not 　　8　　 you shake hands．Let me teach you．” She didn’t do that at all in a condescending(屈尊的)manner．　　9　　 that, I just remember her voice explaining the 　　10　　 of a good handshake of conveying(传达)a 　　11　　 sense of self-belief, of looking the other person in the eyes, and of making a warm 　　12　　．Hearing her friendly words, I first understand what being 　　13　　 meant．

　　I admired her for 　　14　　 time to teach me about one of the important things in life．I was grateful for her not talking down to me 　　15　　 I was 11 and didn’t know much．I also felt somewhat admired by the way she 　　16　　 me．It felt good to be talked to as a(n)　　17　　, rather than as an 11-year-old child．I also 　　18　　 her telling me that if someone isn’t aware of something you should show him or her the right direction; don’t be afraid to 　　19　　 your knowledge．

　　I think of her every time I meet someone 　　20　　, and I’m so thankful for her little lesson．

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　　The years ago, when I was pregnant, I was on my own and in an extremely limited financial situation．I worked at a 　　1　　 but was not well paid．Gradually, I 　　2　　 losing weight instead of gaining it because of poor nutrition．

　　I had a 　　3　　 called Maggie and one day she started 　　4　　 at the pet shop too．Every day for lunch, she would 　　5　　 large, organic salads and other very healthy meals．To my 　　6　　, she insisted that I have some of her lunch．I felt 　　7　　 and I tried to 　　8　　, but she was determined．When I told everyone at work that I was pregnant, she was excited, and kept on 　　9　　 me for very long．

　　All through my pregnancy she was a guardian angel(守护天使), 　　10　　 me．She and her husband 　　11　　 attended my daughter’s birth．They ended up taking us into their 　　12　　 and we became part of their family．

　　One day I 　　13　　 how much I appreciated how she had shared her 　　14　　 with me when we worked at the pet shop．She told me that she heard about my 　　15　　 from a friend of mine who 　　16　　 my refrigerator was shockingly empty back then．In order to help me without letting me know, she 　　17　　 to get a job where I worked．

　　I was shocked and amazed 　　18　　 I learned this new information, I had been 　　19　　 and pregnant and poor, only to be taken under wing by this woman．How 　　20　　 I am! I’ll never forget her –my good neighbor!

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　　　One night I decided to spend some time building a happier and closer relationship with my daughter．For several weeks she had been 　　1　　 me to play chess(棋)with her, so I suggested a game and she eagerly 　　2　　．It was a school night, however, and at nine o’clock my daughter asked if I could 　　3　　 my moves, because she 　　4　　 to go to bed; she had to get up at six in the morning．I 　　5　　 she had strict sleeping habits, 　　6　　 I thought she ought to be able to 　　7　　 some of this strictness．I said to her, “　　8　　, you can stay up late for once．We’re having 　　9　　．” We played on for another fifteen minutes, during which time she looked 　　10　　．Finally she said, “Please, Daddy, do it quickly．” “No,” I replied．“If you’re going to play it 　　11　　, you’re going to play it slowly．” And so we 　　12　　 for another ten minutes, until 　　13　　 my daughter burst into tears, and 　　14　　 that she was beaten．

　　Clearly I had made 　　15　　．I had started the evening wanting to have a 　　16　　 time with my daughter but had 　　17　　 my desire to win to become more 　　18　　 than my relationship with my daughter．When I was a child, my desire to win 　　19　　 me well．As a parent, I 　　20　　 that it got in my way．So I had to change．

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　　Sneaker is a kind of shoe worn by many people all over the world．Some say that the word “sneaker” is another word for tennis shoe, 　　1　　 no one really knows where the word came from．　　2　　 say it came from the old English verb “sneak”, which 　　3　　 to move silently and quickly．The only thing we are 　　4　　 is that when you put on a pair of sneakers, you 　　5　　 light-hearted, light-footed and ready to play．

　　Sneakers of some kind are used by 　　6　　 who play tennis, basketball, and other sports．New design has been made 　　7　　 for people who run slowly．But perhaps sneakers are 　　8　　 used by children in the United States．In fact American children of 　　9　　 ages would much rather play in sneakers than anything else, except perhaps 　　10　　 at all．

　　New York City once held a poetry contest(诗歌比赛)for children．The subject was only “sneaker”．Thousands of children sent in their 　　11　　 and praised the sneakers they love．One prize winner called 　　12　　 poem “The Sneaker and the World Peace”．“When everyone is wearing sneakers,” she said, “it will be impossible to 　　13　　．”

　　American school children can be seen every day 　　14　　 sneakers of all colors．They put them on in the morning and take them off 　　15　　．Sneakers are 　　16　　 washed．In fact the older and dirtier they are, the 　　17　　 lovable they are．When their sneakers wear out(穿破), children hate to throw them off．How do you explain the closeness between 　　18　　? Perhaps another young 　　19　　 in the New York Poetry Contest said it best．“A shoe is just a shoe,” he said．“But a sneaker is a 　　20　　．”

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　　The amount of usable water has always been of great interest in the world．　　1　　 springs and streams sometimes means control, particularly in the 　　2　　 areas like the desert．The control is possible even without possession of large areas of 　　3　　 land．In the early days of the American West, gun fights were not 　　4　　 for the water resources, and laws bad to be 　　5　　 to protect the water rights of the 　　6　　 and the use of the water resources accordingly．

　　　　7　　 is known to us all, there is not 　　8　　 water in all places for everyone to use as much as he likes．Deciding on the 　　9　　 of water that will be used in any particular period 　　10　　 careful planning, so that people can manage and use water more 　　11　　．Farmers have to change their use of or demand for water 　　12　　 the water supply forecast．　

　　The 　　13　　 water supply forecast is based more on the water from the 　　14　　 than from the below．Interest is 　　15　　 in the ways to increase rainfall by man-made methods, and to get water from the winter snow on mountain 　　16　　．With special equipment, some scientists are studying the ways in which the mountain snow can be 　　17　　, and with the help of a repeater station, they send the 　　18　　 data(数据)to the base station．The operator at the base station can get the data at any time by 　　19　　 a button．In the near future, the forecast and use of water 　　20　　 probably depend on the advance knowledge of snow on mountains, not of water underground．

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　　Once the king of India was ill and sent for his doctor．The doctor came, 　　1　　 him and said, “You will be well soon in a few days if you take a bull’s milk．” The king was 　　2　　, for he had never heard of a bull that gave milk．“How is it 　　3　　?” he asked．

　　　“Order Gulbo to get it for you,” answered the doctor．“He can do anything．” Gulbo was a person with great knowledge and was a(n)　　4　　 to the doctor．So the doctor thought this would be a way of making him 　　5　　．When the king told Gulbo what the doctor said and 　　6　　 him to get a bull’s milk, Gulbo 　　7　　 understood what the doctor was trying to do．

　　When he got home, he sat thinking how to get out of the 　　8　　．His daughter, seeing him worried, asked what was the 　　9　　．On hearing what the king had asked for, she said, “Don’t 　　10　　, Father, I will help you．”

　　The next day she took some old clothes, went to the bank of the river near the palace and chose a place 　　11　　 the king’s bedroom window．In the middle of the night, she started to do her washing．She made 　　12　　 much noise that the king could not sleep．The king got very angry and sent a guard to 　　13　　 what had happened．The soldier found the girl and led her to the king．

　　“Why do you wash your clothes here at night?” said the king．

　　The girl 　　14　　 to be afraid and said, “I had to wash clothes at night．This afternoon my father 　　15　　 a baby, I was busy all day because of that．Then I found there were no clean 　　16　　 for the baby, so I had to come and wash them now．”

　　“What!” cried the king．“Are you trying to make a 　　17　　 of me?” I have never heard of a man having a baby．”

　　“Well, if the king himself orders someone to get a bull’s milk for him, 　　18　　 can’t a man have a baby?”

　　The king smiled and said, “You must be Gulbo’s 　　19　　．Go and tell your father that he may keep the bull’s milk to his 　　20　　．

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　　One day, a poor boy who was trying to pay his way through school by selling goods from door to door found that he only had one dime left．He was hungry so he decided to 　　1　　 for a meal at the next house．

　　However, he lost his nerve(勇气)　　2　　 a lovely young woman opened the door．Instead of a meal he asked for a drink of water．She thought he looked 　　3　　 so she brought him a large glass of milk．He drank it slowly, and then asked, “How much do I 　　4　　 you?”

　　“You don’t owe me anything,” she 　　5　　, “mother has taught me never to accept pay for a 　　6　　．” He said, “Then I thank you from the bottom of my heart．” As Howard Kelly left that house, he not only felt stronger 　　7　　, but it also increased his faith in God and human race．He was about to give up and quit before this point．

　　Years later the young woman became critically(紧急的)ill．The local doctors were baffled(感到困惑)．They finally sent her to the big city, where specialists can be called 　　8　　 to study her rare disease．Dr．Howard Kelly, now 　　9　　, was called in for the consultation．When he heard the name of the town she came from, a strange light 　　10　　 his eyes．Immediately, he 　　11　　 and went down through the hospital hall into her room．

　　　　12　　 in his doctor’s grown he went in to see her, he 　　13　　 her at once．He went back to the consultation room and 　　14　　 to do his best to save her life．From that day on, he gave 　　15　　 attention to her face．

　　After a long 　　16　　 the battle was won．Dr．Kelly 　　17　　 the business office to pass the final bill to him for approval．He looked at it and then wrote something on the side．The bill was sent to her room．She was afraid to open it because it was 　　18　　 that it would take the rest of her life to pay it off．Finally she looked, and the note on the side of the bill caught her 　　19　　．She read these words：

　　“Paid in full with a glass of milk．”

　　(Signed)Dr．Howard Kelly

　　Tears of joy flooded her eyes as she 　　20　　 silently．“Thank you, God．Your love has spread through human hearts and hands．”

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　　A year ago I paid no attention to English idioms, 　　1　　 my teacher said again and again that it was important．

　　One day, I happened to 　　2　　 an Englishman on the road, and soon we began to 　　3　　．As I was talking about how I was studying English, the foreigner shook his head, saying, “You don’t say! You don’t say!” I was 　　4　　, I thought, perhaps this is not a 　　5　　 topic．Well, I’d 　　6　　 change the topic．So I said to him, “Well, shall we talk about the Great Wall? 　　7　　 the way, have you ever 　　8　　 there?” “Certainly, everyone back home will 　　9　　 me if I leave China without seeing 　　10　　．It was great．” I said, “The Great Wall is one of the wonders in the world．It is a place of 　　11　　．” Soon I was interrupted again by his words, “　　12　　!” I couldn’t 　　13　　 asking, “Why do you ask me not to talk about it?” “Well, I didn’t ask you to do 　1　4　　”, he answered, gently surprised．

　　I said, “Didn’t you say ‘You don’t say’?”

　　Hearing this, the Englishman 　1　5　　 to tears．He began to 　　16　　,“‘You don’t say’ actually means ‘really?’．It is an 　　17　　 of surprise．Perhaps you don’t pay attention 　　18　　 English idioms．”

　　Then I knew I had made fool of 　　19　　．Since then I have been more 　　20　　 with idioms．

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　　I wanted to be just like those big kids I saw wearing their medals and carrying their ribbons(绶带)．So I 　　1　　 the cross－country team at my school．

　　However．I was very slow in the team．In races，I would finish almost 　　2　　．I'd always have to 　　3　　 in the longer races．The 　　4　　 races and at least 100 people competing in it made me really 　　5　　．Every time I stopped，10 people would 　　6　　 me．But I still couldn’t push myself to keep going．even though I 　　7　　 watching them go by me．After every race，I'd go home and burst into tears．Then one of my friends joined the cross－country team，too．She never got tired and didn’t get cramp(抽筋)in her legs．I just didn’t understand how that Was 　　8　　! I’d been running She for much longer than she had, but she could run 　　9　　 while I had to suffer．She even came 8th in a big race with over 200 people in it! My 　　10　　 Was lower than ever and I wanted to quit badly．I didn’t, 　　11　　．Even a whole month before a race，I’d get so nervous that I felt like I might give up．Still, I 　　12　　 to quit．I still had that 　　13　　 appearing in my mind and I hung on to it．Finally, I realized the reason why the bigger races made me so nervous was that I Wilts always worried that I wash’t 　　14　　 for them．I started to practice at home almost every day．I 　　15　　 a plan that had me running almost three kilometers every day，which helped me build up a steady 　　16　　．When the time came for the big race，all the practice really 　　17　　．I stopped only once and my pace was much better．I was 　　18　　 of myself for sticking with it even though it Was really hard and I’d even wanted to quit．I showed myself that I was 　　19　　 enough to keep going．That Was what made me feel good about myself and gave me confidence．The next time I’m faced with a tough 　　20　　, will know that I can take it up．I None of this would ever have happened if I had quitted!